watts



Urtan STATES `ATENT rrrong BENJAMIN M. WATTS, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA.

HAY-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234509, dated November16, 1880.

' Application filed June 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all 'whom it may cocm Be it known that I, BENJAMIN M. WATTS, of thecity and county ot' Los Angeles, and State of California, have inventedan Improvement in Portable Hay-Presses; and 1 hcreby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain improvements in portable hay-presses,and my improvements refe'more particularly to a portable field-press forwhich Letters Patent No. 225,?73 were granted to me March 23, 1880,reference to which is hereby specially made.

My improvements consist in certain details of Construction by which thepower is applied to the follower for pressing the bale while the pressis traveling from one cock to another,

avoiding the necessity of unhitching the team when pressing a hale; inan improved means ot' preventing lateral spreading ot' the body by thebar which controls the corners and in a means ot' controlling thecover-holding bar, as well as that bar which supports the bottom ordischarge door, as is more i'ully described in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figurel is a view of my device. Fig. 2 is a section.Fig. 3 shows the clutch with its Operating-level'.

The follower described in my former patent, hereinbefore referred to,moves toward the forward part of the press in forming the bale, whereasin this instance the direction of the follower is reversed, the powerbeing applied to the followerin a different manner.

A shaft, H, extends across the rear end of the body ot' the press, andhas on its ends spirally-grooved come-pulleys, on which the chains F,connecting with the projecting ends or extensions E of the follower D,are wound. On the shaft H is a fixed chain-pulley, I, over which passesan endless chain, J, this chain also passing overa loose chain-pulley,A, on the hind axle, B. A clutch, C, on this axle is adapted to connectthe chain-pulleyA with the shaft, so as to cause said pulley to rotate.

A lever, L, having its fulcrum on the side of the press-body, isconnected with the clutch C, and another bar or lever, M, is alsoconnected with the lever L, and is placed on the side of the press insuch a 'position that the follower-bar or extension, when it comes farenough hack, will impinge upon it and throw off the clutch.

The method ot' pressing the balc is as follows: The hay is put intothebody of the press through the openings ofthe doors, as described in myformer patent. A spring, N, attached to the clutch-bar keeps the clutchin contact, so as to cause the chain roller or pulley on the hind axle.to revolvc, and as the horses move on to the next cock this hind axle isrevolved by the traction of the hind whecls, these wheels having stops aacross their tires, or being ribbed, as shown, to insure theirrevolving. As the hind axlerevolves, the chain J revolves the shaft H,which Winds up the follower-chains F, thus drawing the follower back andpressing the hay into a hale. As soon as the hale becomes properlypressed and the follower is drawn far enough back to accomplish itsobject the follower-bar E strikes against the end of the lever M, thusthrowing the clutch out ot' gear and preventing any breakage should theteam not stop at the proper time, this action being` automatic. As soonas the follower-bar is released and drawn back a little the spring`throws the clutch in'gear again.

I have only shown one pair of pulleys on the axle and shaft and oneconnecting-chain, as well as one clutch and disengaging-bar. These maybe (luplicated, however, so as to have four pulleys, two endless chains,two clutches, and two disengaging-bars, one on each side of the press. Ahand-lever may also be provided for the clutch, so as to hold the clutchin or out of gear, independent of-the lever M, at thepleasure of thedriver, and while traveling with the press.

It will be seen that the manner ofobtaining the power for the followeris essentially different from that shown in my former patent. ln this itis obtained by the forward motion of the wagon from the two rear wheels,which are rigidly fixed on their axle, so as to turn said axle.

This Construction enables me to press the bale while traveling from onecock to the other, and it is never necessary to unhitch the horses andconnect them to a bull-wheel rope. I therefore dispensc entirely withthe bullwheel shown in my former patent.

The center bar, S, to prevent the lateral IOO spreading of the box whilepressing the bale, I form in an improved manner. In the press shown innyforner patent this bar was hin ged on the doors, and two of these barswere necessary. In my improved bar a single one only is necessary, andit is all in one piece, with no central hinge, but placed on pivotedplates T, so as to swin g back to release the doors,these plates servingas hooks or braces to prevent the lateral swelling. This bar swingsbackward when it is required to open the top doors of the press andforward when they are closed. The plates are wider than the bar, andform lips when the bar is closed down on the door, which, impinging onthe sides ot' the pressbody, prevent any lateral s'wellin g of the bodyfrom internal pressure.

Pivoted dogs or catehes U, with projections u at their lower ends, holdthe center bar to its place while at work and release it When required.The small projeetions or shoulders u on the catches U are intended, asthese catches are released from the center bar, to force said bar freefrom the box. The catehes then answer as levers, and by drawing down ontheir upper ends the projections u are forced against the under sidesot' the bar and force it free from the boX, which it would otherwise be(lifiicult to do, owing to the side pressure on the plates carrying thebar.

On each side of the press is a small pivoted hand-lever, Y, the officeof which is to hold the crank of the bar that supports the trapdoor,thereby preventing the said bar from turning while pressing the bale.

111 ny former patent, hereinbefore referred to, the arin or bar forholding the drop-door was held by a hook, and it sometimes pressed soheavily on the hook that the door could not be released. I now use thehand-leverY to hold the bar, so said bar may be always easily released.This bar is reprcse'ted at X. The lock or hand-lever Y is hinged to theside of the box. The bar X is raised, underlapping and securing thedrop-door Z by the crank X' on its end, as shown, and is locked by thelever Y being thrown to the right, securing the bale while Operating.The crank X' is fixed to one end of the bar X outside the press box.Each end of the bar is pivoted on either side of the box. Whenthe lock Yis thrown to the left the pressure of the bale forces the bar down andthe drop-door falls open, the bale being released.

Having thus described my inventon, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable field-press having a rotating axle, B, and ehain-pulleyA, the supplemental shaft H, with its clain-pulley I and chain J, saidshaft being adapted to wind up the chains F, connected with the followerD, whereby the movement of the press over the ground furnishes the powerfor pressing the bale while moving from one cock to another,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. In eombination with the followerD E and the pulley A, adapted torotate the shaft H, which winds up the follower-chains, the le- Vers L Mand clutch C and spring N, whereby the motive power is thrown out ofgear automatically when the bale is suflicientlypressed, and thrown ingear again when pressure is released, substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

3. ln eombination with the portable fieldpr'ess having upper doorsforreceivng the loose hay, the center bar, S, with its pivoted plates T,said plates being adapted to close by the sides ot' the press, wherebylateral swelling of the press is prevented, substantially as hereindescribed.

4. In eombination with the center bar, S, with its pivoted plates T, thepivoted catches U, with their projections u, whereby said bar is held inposition to keep the doors closed and forced from place to open thedoors, substantially as herein described.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

BENJAMIN MARION WATTS. \Vitnesses:

GHAs. It. J OHNSON, J AMES E. GRIFFIN.

